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In the turbulent days after 9/11 and the anthrax attacks, during the buildup to war in Iraq, the federal government undertook an ambitious plan to vaccinate half a million health care workers against smallpox.
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Though Chicago is roughly 1,700 miles from Mexico City the epicenter of the H1N1 influenza A outbreak it didn't take long for the virus to get there when warnings of a possible pandemic began coming out.
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As it became clear to many public health departments and infection preventionists that H1N1 influenza was acting more like a seasonal influenza virus than a pandemic strain, many broke with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and downgraded infection control measures accordingly.
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Health care workers or public health workers who were not using appropriate personal protective equipment during close contact with an ill confirmed, probable, or suspect case of swine-origin influenza A (H1N1) virus infection during the case's infectious period are indicated for post-exposure antiviral chemoprophylaxis with either oseltamivir or zanamivir, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends.
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Health care-associated infections (HAIs) are clearly on the radar of Kathleen Sebelius, the new Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She recently called for action to prevent HAIs in praising two new HHS reports on the quality of health care in America.
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The Joint Commission has issued a major new document on the difficult issue of assessing hand hygiene compliance by health care workers.
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It is important to investigate the reasons for nonadherence to hand hygiene guidelines before deciding on one or more improvement strategies, according to a new report by The Joint Commission and its partners. It also is useful to examine the organizational context of health care delivery, which may facilitate or inhibit adherence.
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The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health identified the following parameters for the effective use of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation to protect against tuberculosis:
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HIPAA alert: If you think the massive privacy law doesn't apply to employee health, take another look. The exceptions to HIPAA are very specific ones, says Karl Auerbach, MD, MS, MBA, FACOEM, associate professor of occupational and environmental medicine at the University of Rochester (NY).
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Why should your hospital invest in employee health and wellness? Answer that question in a detailed business plan and you may win support for your programs from hospital leadership.
